


She's A Waterfall

by margaerose



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-07 21:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3183452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/margaerose/pseuds/margaerose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke Griffin is stuck wondering what to do with her life now that she's done high school. The focus she put on having good grades has left her without much of a social life. This changes when she's introduced to Raven, who invites her to a band practice where she begins to fall in love with music all over again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Come To A Band Practice?

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s the first chapter of my 100 garage band AU, very excited about this. Also please don’t laugh at my song lyrics. I may have to ask someone to do them for me in the future as it is not my forte.  
> You should all go check out my awesome beta reader on wattpad @whoalizstrong because she made this story a lot more readable trust me!  
> Enjoy!

The song featured in this chapter is Record Collector by Lissie

…

Clarke shuffled around her local music store, feeling overwhelmed. ‘Sirens’ was situated in the windowless basement of the only radio station in town, and filled wall to wall with music. It was the only store in Redbrooke Ontario that sold new music unless you wanted to drive an hour and a half into Toronto, which she did not. She had long ago accepted the fact that she was a small town girl, and had n desire to ‘get out’ of where she came from.

The walls inside the store were stacked to the top with CDs, records, and old posters, and for a small place, it seemed to hold a lot of stuff. There was always a bunch of young people working, which, admittedly, Clarke felt more intimidating than helpful, but it was good to know someone was there to redirect her if she was being a complete idiot.

She picked up CDs occasionally, looking at the track titles on the back. She hadn’t bought a CD in what felt like forever, and no idea what kind of music she liked.

She examined the back of a case with a colorful design.

“The Kooks are pretty sick.”

She looked up, startled.

A strikingly pretty girl about her age, with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail was leaning against the stand of CDs beside her.

“You should give it a listen.” She said confidently.

Clarke nodded. “I think I will.”

The girl smiled. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Not really.” Clarke shrugged. “Just more good music I guess.”

“Well, I can definitely help you with that.” She smiled. “What kind of stuff do you like?”

Clarke opened her mouth to speak, then stopped to think. “I don’t really know to be honest. I haven’t had much time to listen to music the past few years.”

The girl looked surprised. “What have you been doing that’s had you so busy?”

Clarke smiled sourly. “Trying to get a full ride to university.”

“Oh I recognize you.” She grinned. “You’re Clarke, right? I think we had Math 11 together.”

Clarke’s face lit up. “Raven, right?” She smiled. “What happened to you, I haven seen you since...”

Raven smirked. “I actually dropped out.”

“Oh, wow.” Clarke wasn’t sure what to say.

Raven laughed. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Did you get that free ride?”

“Almost.” Clarke said. “I kind of thought that if I got enough of a scholarship I’d actually want to go.”

“ _You_ don’t want to go to college?”

Clarke laughed. “I honestly have no fucking idea what I want.”

Raven smiled, extending her arms outwards. “Welcome to the club.”

“Damn, I should have joined earlier. I could have put it on my applications.”

Raven looked at her for a few seconds, and Clarke noticed how feminine her features were, and felt a little envious. Her hair was twisted back, forming a long ponytail. The reddish black colour was bold, and very intimidating. Along with having beautiful hair, she also had shapely eyebrows and long lashes. _It was hardly fair._

Clarke began to feel self-conscious. “What?”

She moved her hands to her hips. “You’re funny, Clarke.”

Her forehead creased. “Thank you?”

Raven laughed again. “You should come to my bands’ practice tonight.”

“I don’t know.” She fiddled with one of the CDs on the rack next to her. “Wouldn’t be in the way?”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Oh please, we always have losers hanging around.” She nudged her jokingly.

Clarke hesitated. “I’m not sure…”

“Come on, its cool.” Raven took the CD from Clarks’ hands and flipped it over and scanning the back. “We play like two songs from this album, and we only practice for like half an hour. Then we drink beer and play cards the rest of the night.”

Clarke smiled. “Okay.”

“For real?”

Clarke nodded.

“Awesome. It’s the big red house at 224 Redwood drive. The garage will be open, come over any time after five.”

“What are you guys called?” Clarke asked.

“Mecca Station.” Raven smiled, obviously proud her band had such a cool name.

Clarke ended up buying the CD, along with a few others Raven recommended.

***

When she got home her mom was still at work. She went up to her room and pulled out of the CDs right away. She opened the CD player she’d gotten for her 14th birthday, which had been sitting unused on her desk for more than a year, and put it in.

She pressed play, and after an upbeat song came on she glanced at the back of the case.

_I'm tired of saying_

_That I won't get lost ever again_

_Who knows, maybe I will_

As she examined the CD case she started moving her hips to the music. It was catchy. This soon turned into full-fledged dancing as she went to her dresser to find a change of clothes.

“What are you doing?”

Clarke yelped. “Jesus Christ, Wells.”

“Sorry.” He climbed through her window and sat on the ledge.

Wells had lived next door to her for five years, so she was used to him hanging around. They had been nearly inseparable when they were younger, especially after her father passed away when she was 14. This past year though, for whatever reason, they’d begun to grow apart, and Clarke had been noticing it a lot more than he was.

Wells had always been a really good kid, but that was part of why they weren’t working lately. Before exams, Clarke loved that he was just as into homework as she was, that they could sit and study together for hours uninterrupted, but now that summer had begun she realized she didn’t have anyone to invite her to parties, or barbeques. All she had was Wells.

“Text me before you look in my window next time okay?”

He raised his hands in surrender. “You got it.”

She went back to her dresser, pulling out a black tank top.

“Going somewhere?”

She nodded. “This girl from the music store invited me to her band practice.”

“That doesn’t sound like something you would be into.”

Clarke turned around and pulled off her shirt. “ _Well_ I’m _going_ , aren’t I?” She pulled on the tank top.

“Yeah, okay.” Wells pursed his lips. “I think I’m gonna go, its almost five and-“

“Shit,” Clarke turned back around and grabbed her phone off her bed. “Is it really? I’ve gotta go now.”

She gathered up her stuff. “Dinner at you place?”

He nodded. “Dad’s making spaghetti, don’t be late.”

“I never am, see you later!”

“Bye.” He offered, but she was already out the door.

***

The house at 224 Redwood drive was massive. It had a wrap around porch, a beautiful garden with a pond, and a three-car garage, and just as Raven had said, one of the doors was open.

Clarke sat in her car, debating whether or not Raven was serious when she asked her to come over. Eventually, she fought off her insecurities by remembering how few people her age she knew. That, and the potential of one of Ravens’ friends being hot was what got her out of her car.

As she drew closer to the open garage door she heard voices inside, and picked out Ravens’.

“Jasper, I swear to god, if you hit me with your drumsticks one more time I’m going to snap them in half.”

“I’ve almost got the trick, next time I’ll get it.”

“No, _next time_ you’ll be getting a new pair of hands.”

When she came to the door she could see that at the far end of the long garage there was a white suburban. It was parked alongside an expensive looking green sports car. At the end closest to her, Raven stood facing a skinny dark haired boy who sat behind a drum set, whose hair was impossibly messy.

To Ravens’ left Clarke could see a dark haired boy whose face was hidden behind a laptop that sat mounted above a keyboard. A younger girl standing to her right was running her fingers through her straight brown hair and rolling her eyes. A purple electric bass guitar hung at her side, and she was tapping her bare feet on the cement floor rhythmically. She was just as pretty as Raven.

She spoke up confidently. “We should play _Arabella_.”

Raven shook her head. “We have to work on our original if we want to advance to the top fifteen.”

The girl rolled her neck, clearly unimpressed. Raven seemed unfazed by her lack of enthusiasm.

A door opened where the garage connected to the house and two teenage boys walked out, both of them holding two bottles of beer in each hand. They were dressed in dark t-shirts and jeans, despite the heat.

“Hey, Monty?” The shorter of the two boys called, and the boy who stood in front of the keyboard looked up. He had kind looking features.

“We cleaned you out of- Oh hey.” He gestured to Clarke. “Who’s this?”

Raven turned around, grinning when she saw Clarke. “You came!” She set down the grey electric guitar she was holding on a stand.

Clarke nodded, smiling nervously. It had been a while since she’d been in a room full of just teenagers, and she really didn’t count when she and Wells hung out together. She hated that she felt so out of place.

Raven came to stand next to her. “Everyone, this is Clarke. Clarke, this is Octavia,” She gestured the girl holding the bass guitar. “Jasper and Monty,” The two other boys playing in the band smiled at her. “Finn,” The boy who had seen her first smiled. “And Murphy.” The last boy raised one of his bottle filled hands at her dryly.

“We’re just about to start, you’ll have to hang out with these two losers for now.” Raven winked.

“That’s cool.”

“Okay.” Raven turned back to her band mates.

Clarke watched her pick up a drumstick off the floor and threatened Jasper with it. He looked to Monty for support, who only laughed at him in response.

“Want a beer?” Murphy asked her.

“Yeah, definitely.” Clarke replied.

Finn warned her a little before tossing it through the air. He was only standing a few feet away, but still she fumbled it, before holding it tightly in both hands.

“Thanks.” She uttered, completely embarrassed.

They both laughed.

“Come, on.” Finn gestured for her to follow them to an ‘L’ shaped couch against the wall facing the band. It was bright red leather, and in front of it sat a giant wire spool. It was pretty obvious the makeshift table was there to look cool, as everything else in the garage was brand new.

She sat down between the two guys, and used the hem of her shirt as a guard for her hand to twist of the bottle cap.

Murphy shouted to Raven. “Play me the original you guys are planning to do.”

Raven sighed. “Okay,” She picked up her guitar. “I think it’s going to be this one but it doesn’t really feel right. Let me know what you think.”

He nodded.

Raven plugged in the electric guitar slung over her shoulders. She played a chord, and it sat in the air for a few seconds before they all started playing at once. It had an upbeat pop-rock feel, and the sound was nice on Clarke’s ears.

Raven started singing the lyrics when a medium raspy voice that filled the garage.

The song had a steady pattern of the music slowing and quieting for a few lines of the song, and then picking up for a short bit.

Their sound was complex, but still clean and not predictable.

“Are they practicing for a competition?” Clarke asked Finn, who unlike Murphy, seemed more occupied with his beer than the music.

“Yeah, sort of.” He explained. “There’s this huge battle of the bands type thing that only happens every five years. You have to be between the ages of fourteen and eighteen though, so you only get one go at it. You play one original and one cover, and the song you cover can’t ever have been in the top 40. Murphy,” he nodded to the boy on her right side. “Is in a band with Octavia’s’ brother, and five years ago they won first place. He was only fifteen and he’s more than a little cocky about it, _but_ he knows his stuff.”

“What do you get if you win?”

“A small record deal type thing. Not everyone takes it.”

“Why not?”

Murphy scoffed. “Because some people can’t afford to follow their dreams.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Yeah, they still play on the side though.”

Murphy shushed him.

The chorus of the song combined the lyrics with the louder music.

_We live in this world but it’s crashing and burning_

_And people don’t know_

_When they’ve got it so good_

_I’m tired of listening to all this injustice_

_If we can live here on this earth for this long_

_I know we can do it for good_

When the song was over Raven looked at Murphy expectantly.

“Well?”

He thought for a minute, scrunching his eyes. “I think…” He sighed. “Well first of all, I know what you mean about the song not feeling right, it’s definitely not your guys’ sound. It sounds like you’re putting on a show. It needs to be something real.”

Octavia crossed her arms. “We don’t have any more originals, Raven.”

“Hey,” Murphy shrugged. “It will probably get you through to the top 10, if you play it really well, but you wont win with it. You just need to do a really good cover this time around.”

Raven nodded. “We’ll play you what we have.”

They played a song called _Leroy_ , which Murphy deemed too well known, and then a song called _Goin’ Down_ , which, much to Ravens dismay he said she couldn’t pull off. They played a few others also, but still it was clear that the spark wasn’t there.

Finally Clarke spoke up. “What about the song from the CD I bought from you today?”

Raven raised an eyebrow. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“It was the first song on the catching a lion album.”

“Catching a… oh catching a tiger! The first song… oh my god, we played that last summer at the fair.” She smiled. “Guys do you remember record collector?”

“Hells yeah.” Octavia grinned.

“Shit, that’s perfect.” Jasper tapped his drumsticks around lightly

“Clarke, you are a genius.” Raven beamed at her.

And it _was_ perfect; unknown but catchy and sounded different from the original with electric guitar. Raven sang it beautifully, and they all lit up while they went about it it.

They played it a few more times, tweaking little things as they went along.

After about the seventh time, Octavia lifted her bass onto a stand and walked away. “My brain is about to explode.” She settled down on the floor beside the table.

“Agreed.” Monty got up and grabbed a beer off the table.

Raven sat down beside Murphy on the corner of the L shaped couch, crossing her arms casually. “Did you find a drummer for tomorrow night?”

He nodded. “Some kid from Newbrooke.”

“Ou.” Octavia sat up straighter. “Is he hot?”

Murphy gave her a dull look. “I haven’t met him, but I’ll be sure to tell your brother you asked.”

Octavia’s eyes narrowed. “No, you wont.”

He raised his hands defensively. “Alright, chill Blake.”

“Speaking of you brother,” Jasper chimed in. He was sitting cross-legged on the table. “How come he isn’t here?

“Work.” Octavia glanced at her watch. “He should be here any minute actually.” She turned to Murphy. “What time are you guys going to be at _The Drop Ship_ tomorrow night?”

He thought about it. “Seven I guess?”

Octavia huffed. “No, because _we_ go on at seven, and Bellamy will want to be there to see us play.”

Clarke’s curiosity was getting to her, and she interjected. “What’s the drop ship?”

Jasper answered her. “It’s this sleazy bar we play at sometimes. They don’t give a crap how old you are as long as you look passably nineteen.”

“You have to come.” Raven grinned.

Clarke shrugged. “Alright.”

“And don’t worry,” Raven looked pointedly at Murphy. “I’ll make sure to only sing songs I can pull off.”

"Sounds good to me." He took another drink from his bottle. Clarke wondered how he managed to make everything he did look so smug.

Raven shook her head. "You're a piece of shit, you know that?"

He smiled bitterly. "Yep."

"God, Murphy," Octavia crossed her legs. "I don’t know why you're so smug. I'm just as young as you were five years ago."

"Except you guys have only made it through to the top 25.” He smirked. “Oh, and you're a bassist."

Octavia’s’ face turned pink. "How dare-"

"So, Octavia," Clarke jumped in as an attempt to break the tension. "Did you go to Herring Cove high like Raven and me?"

Octavia scoffed. "I wish. I had a psycho mom who homeschooled me. She thought I was too innocent for the outside world or something. Anyway she fucked off about six months ago and now I live with my brother and these two losers." She gestured to Raven and Murphy.

Clarke smiled, though she was more than a little taken aback. "Sounds pretty cool."

Raven shrugged. "If you like paying rent.”

Clarke glanced at her watch. “Oh crap.” She would be late for dinner at Wells’.

“What’s wrong?” Raven leaned towards her.

“I’ve got to get home.” She stood up, setting her half full beer bottle on the table. “This was really cool.” She smiled as she turned to go.

“We’ll see you tomorrow night?” Raven called after her.

“Definitely!” She chirped, as she headed out the door.

***


	2. Waterfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has a flashback to her past and then a falling out with someone she cares about. Later she receives a strange phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs features in this chapter are 'Waterfall' by The Stone Roses and 'O My Heart' by Mother Mother.

Clarke still smiled as she started her car. As she pulled out of the driveway she was flooded by the kind of happiness that filled her chest and neck. It caused her cheeks to flush and her eyes to water. It was dramatic, but it was justified. She met new people, new friends. She wasn’t trapped; she had new places to go, and new people to meet. It was liberating.

 

So she did something she hadn’t done in a long time. She turned on the radio. A man’s voice came out at her, instead of music like had expected.

 

“You’re listening to 94.7 and here’s your first flashback Friday song of the night. From 1991, here are The Stone Roses with Waterfall.”  And then it began; a smooth guitar sound that filled her belly with an unusual feeling, a good, but different feeling.

_Chimes sing Sunday morn_

_Today's the day she's sworn_

_To steal what she never could own_

_And race from this hole she calls home_

The smile on her face was replaced by a glazed look. Everything was going on inside her now. She could feel herself changing.

She would carry on after all.

She was a waterfall.

 

_Clarke thought of her father beside her. As he taught her how to drive, his hand always hovered close to the wheel as she made her way up and down their street._

_“Dad, this is stupid, I can’t even get my learners for another two years.”_

_“Hey life goes by fast, kiddo. You don’t know how much longer I’m gonna be around.” He pounded his chest with his fist. “This guys on it’s way out.”_

_“Don’t.” Clarke turned her eyes towards the road she’d been neglecting._

_His smile faded. “Sorry.”_

_They drove in silence for a few minutes before Clarke could feel tears running down her cheeks._

_He noticed. “It’s 70 through here, Clarke. You don’t have to drive so slow.”_

_She pursed her lips. “Yes I do.”_

“You’re a waterfall.” Clarke whispered to herself, as she felt her tears flowing over her cheeks. “You’re a waterfall.” She tried so hard to convince herself that she was strong, wiping her tears with her arm. They only came back though. It had been months since she’d cried over her father, and over a year since she’d felt that much.

And it felt like a release.

…

Her mother was not impressed as she was late for dinner, and even though Wells and Thelonious were polite about it, she did feel bad. Thursday night dinners were routine, one she had fallen into a long time ago.  It was a routine that nothing had ever interested her enough to drag her out of, until today.

She sat politely at the large kitchen table she had always envied, running her fork through her mashed potatoes. She had never liked them. She always ate her meat and her vegetables first, leaving here with the bland, paste like side dish.

“Clarke, did you hear Thelonious?”

She looked up to find her mother smiling at her.

“No,” Clarke turned to Wells’ father. “Sorry.”

He smiled. “I was wondering what you were up to tomorrow night. Wells and I were going to take the boat out on the lake. You’re welcome to come as well, Abby.”

“That sounds fun.” Clarke’s mother smiled.

“Actually,” Clarke laid her fork on the table. “I’m going to a concert tomorrow night.” She replied.

“Really?” Wells challenged her.

“Yeah.” She spat back, raising the stakes.

Wells backed off, as Clarke assumed he would. “Okay, okay. Chill, I believe you.”

She smiled, knowing exactly how to pull his strings.

“Why don’t you kids take your plates to the kitchen.” Thelonious suggested, sensing the tension. Clarke nodded, following Wells out of the dining room. She scraped her potatoes into the compost bin on the counter and placed her plate in the dishwasher beside Wells’. She had always envied everything about their house. It used to be like hers, before they had it renovated. Now it reminded her of something out of extreme makeover: Home Edition. The counter tops were white marble, the floors shiny black tile, and the sinks and appliances all a matching stainless steel. They even had one of those double ovens you see on the cooking channel.

She sat down at the Island. “You could come,” She told him, as he took a seat beside her. “To the concert I mean. It’ll be fun.”

“Where is it?” He picked a grape out of the fruit bowl in front of them.

“Some bar in Fairbrooke.”

Wells almost choked on his grape. “You can’t go to a bar. You’re seventeen.”

Clarke shrugged. “Raven said…”

“Who’s Raven?” Wells cut her off. “And why is she inviting you to bars?”

“Would you let me finish?” She leaned away from him.

He slammed his fist on the marble counter top. “God, Clarke what has gotten into you?”

There was a long silence before she stood up. “Forget about it, Wells.” She turned to leave.

“Clarke…” He got up, chasing after her.  

She turned around, frustrated, when she reached his entryway, her hand on the knob of the front door.

Wells sighed. “Clarke, I don’t know who you’re hanging out with but they don’t sound like cool people.”

She opened the door, ignoring him. “See you next Friday Wells.” His front door slammed behind her and she started down the stone walkway.  When she reached the street she felt relived. The air was warm but refreshing on her bare arms, and when she pulled her hair out of a ponytail it hit her shoulders like a waterfall.

The first thing she did when she got back to her room was pull another CD out of the bag and shove it into her stereo.

She looked at the case: _Mother Mother – Oh My Heart._ She pressed play.

It sounded like… running fast. As if there was nothing holding her back and she could dribble the world like a basketball. Clarke laughed at the thought of Wells and Thelonious being dribbled around in their beautiful perfect house.

She took a deep breath.

_Oh my heart, it's a fish out of water_

_Oh my heart, it's a fish on the rocks_

_and it bakes in the bad sun_

She remembered Raven tossing this one to her.

_“You need this.” She went straight back to picking out more CDs. “They’re from BC, really big right now. They’ll make you feel like dancing.”_

Clarke couldn’t disagree with that. She didn’t want to dance the way the other song had made her. This was different. This was a thick, crisp sound that resonated in her core.

It was powerful.

_And I throw my heart back to the ocean_

_But it don't go far, it come back floating_

_And I watch it wash it up with the dead fish_

_But it ain't quite dead, it just is like this_

Clarke laughed a little.

She didn’t need Wells bossing her around. She was done with high school, finally, and on to the next. It was completely normal to move on from friends, and she wasn’t the same as she was before she’d put the CD into her stereo that afternoon. She’d made a change, quick and thoughtless, but not wrong.

She was going to that show.

That’s when she heard her phone ring. She patted herself down before pulling it from the back pocket of her jeans.

Her finger went to the stereo and turned the music down to a reasonable level. She glanced at the screen of her phone to find _RAVEN is calling._ Clarke remembered giving the girl her number that afternoon, but was surprised she was calling. She swiped her finger across her screen to answer and held it to her ear.

“Hello?” She was greeted by loud music of an unknown genre.

“Clarke?” Raven’s voice came out at her. “Clarke, I’m just calling to make sure you’re coming tomorrow night.”

Clarke laughed. “Yeah I am. How drunk are you?”

She heard a girl laugh in the background, most likely Octavia.

“Seriously.” Raven’s voice gained a serious tone. “We need someone like you around.”

Clarke felt a pain in her stomach she didn’t know how to place. “I… Thank-“

“Woah, hold on.” Raven shouted. “This is my song. Bellamy, hold this.”

Clarke heard shuffling and music before a deep voice rang through the speaker. “Hello?”

She stuttered. “Uh… Uh, hello.”

His tone darkened. “Who is this?”

“This is Clarke.” She gulped.

“Who is this?” She tried.

“This is Bellamy.”

“Oh.” Clarke sat down on her bed.

There was a short pause before his voice came through again. This time it was kinder. “How are you?”

She didn’t know why she was feeling so anxious. “I’m well?”

“You’re _well_?” He asked, tone mocking.

She laughed, perplexed. “Yes, I am.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Clarke. How do you know Raven?” His voice was gruff, but conversational.

“We met at Sirens today.” She explained, picking at a loose string at the hem of her shirt.

“Great place.” He said. “Buy anything?”

“Yeah, a few actually.” There was a ‘ _crack’_ halfway through her final word and the background noise went dead. “Bellamy? Raven?”

No response, just silence. Had he hung up on her? Why did she care so much? She gave her valedictorian speech in front of 2000 people just weeks ago and now her stomach was churning because she spoke to a stranger on the phone for a minute and a half. It didn’t make much sense.

Clarke yawned. She’d had enough conversation for one day. She crawled into bed in the clothes she was wearing, not fully intending to go to sleep, but knowing she probably wouldn’t be getting back up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. This chapter wasn't going to happen and I have the next one kind of written already, it just needs a lot of tweaking. It should be up in less than two weeks. Leave me a comment telling me what you think! :)


	3. Waterfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has a flashback to her past and then a falling out with someone she cares about. Later she receives a strange phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs features in this chapter are 'Waterfall' by The Stone Roses and 'O My Heart' by Mother Mother.

Clarke smiled still when she started her car. As she pulled out of the driveway she was flooded by the kind of happiness that filled her chest and neck. It caused her cheeks to flush and her eyes to water. It was dramatic, but it was justified. She met new people, new friends. She wasn’t trapped; she had new places to go, and new people to meet. It was liberating.

 

So she did something she hadn’t done in a long time. She turned on the radio. A man’s voice came out at her, instead of music like had expected.

 

“You’re listening to 94.7 and here’s your first flashback Friday song of the night. From 1991, here are The Stone Roses with Waterfall.”  And then it began; a smooth guitar sound that filled her belly with an unusual feeling, a good, but different feeling.

_Chimes sing Sunday morn_

_Today's the day she's sworn_

_To steal what she never could own_

_And race from this hole she calls home_

The smile on her face was replaced by a glazed look. Everything was going on inside her now. She could feel herself changing.

She would carry on after all.

She was a waterfall.

 

_Clarke thought of her father beside her. As he taught her how to drive, his hand always hovered close to the wheel as she made her way up and down their street._

_“Dad, this is stupid, I can’t even get my learners for another two years.”_

_“Hey life goes by fast, kiddo. You don’t know how much longer I’m gonna be around.” He pounded his chest with his fist. “This guys on it’s way out.”_

_“Don’t.” Clarke turned her eyes towards the road she’d been neglecting._

_His smile faded. “Sorry.”_

_They drove in silence for a few minutes before Clarke could feel tears running down her cheeks._

_He noticed. “It’s 70 through here, Clarke. You don’t have to drive so slow.”_

_She pursed her lips. “Yes I do.”_

“You’re a waterfall.” Clarke whispered to herself, as she felt her tears flowing over her cheeks. “You’re a waterfall.” She tried so hard to convince herself that she was strong, wiping her tears with her arm. They only came back though. It had been months since she’d cried over her father, and over a year since she’d felt that much.

And it felt like a release.

…

Her mother was not impressed as she was late for dinner, and even though Wells and Thelonious were polite about it, she did feel bad. Thursday night dinners were routine, one she had fallen into a long time ago.  It was a routine that nothing had ever interested her enough to drag her out of, until today.

She sat politely at the large kitchen table she had always envied, running her fork through her mashed potatoes. She had never liked them. She always ate her meat and her vegetables first, leaving here with the bland, paste like side dish.

“Clarke, did you hear Thelonious?”

She looked up to find her mother smiling at her.

“No,” Clarke turned to Wells’ father. “Sorry.”

He smiled. “I was wondering what you were up to tomorrow night. Wells and I were going to take the boat out on the lake. You’re welcome to come as well, Abby.”

“That sounds fun.” Clarke’s mother smiled.

“Actually,” Clarke laid her fork on the table. “I’m going to a concert tomorrow night.” She replied.

“Really?” Wells challenged her.

“Yeah.” She spat back, raising the stakes.

Wells backed off, as Clarke assumed he would. “Okay, okay. Chill, I believe you.”

She smiled, knowing exactly how to pull his strings.

“Why don’t you kids take your plates to the kitchen.” Thelonious suggested, sensing the tension. Clarke nodded, following Wells out of the dining room. She scraped her potatoes into the compost bin on the counter and placed her plate in the dishwasher beside Wells’. She had always envied everything about their house. It used to be like hers, before they had it renovated. Now it reminded her of something out of extreme makeover: Home Edition. The counter tops were white marble, the floors shiny black tile, and the sinks and appliances all a matching stainless steel. They even had one of those double ovens you see on the cooking channel.

She sat down at the Island. “You could come,” She told him, as he took a seat beside her. “To the concert I mean. It’ll be fun.”

“Where is it?” He picked a grape out of the fruit bowl in front of them.

“Some bar in Fairbrooke.”

Wells almost choked on his grape. “You can’t go to a bar. You’re seventeen.”

Clarke shrugged. “Raven said…”

“Who’s Raven?” Wells cut her off. “And why is she inviting you to bars?”

“Would you let me finish?” She leaned away from him.

He slammed his fist on the marble counter top. “God, Clarke what has gotten into you?”

There was a long silence before she stood up. “Forget about it, Wells.” She turned to leave.

“Clarke…” He got up, chasing after her.  

She turned around, frustrated, when she reached his entryway, her hand on the knob of the front door.

Wells sighed. “Clarke, I don’t know who you’re hanging out with but they don’t sound like cool people.”

She opened the door, ignoring him. “See you next Friday Wells.” His front door slammed behind her and she started down the stone walkway.  When she reached the street she felt relived. The air was warm but refreshing on her bare arms, and when she pulled her hair out of a ponytail it hit her shoulders like a waterfall.

The first thing she did when she got back to her room was pull another CD out of the bag and shove it into her stereo.

She looked at the case: _Mother Mother – Oh My Heart._ She pressed play.

It sounded like… running fast. As if there was nothing holding her back and she could dribble the world like a basketball. Clarke laughed at the thought of Wells and Thelonious being dribbled around in their beautiful perfect house.

She took a deep breath.

_Oh my heart, it's a fish out of water_

_Oh my heart, it's a fish on the rocks_

_and it bakes in the bad sun_

She remembered Raven tossing this one to her.

_“You need this.” She went straight back to picking out more CDs. “They’re from BC, really big right now. They’ll make you feel like dancing.”_

Clarke couldn’t disagree with that. She didn’t want to dance the way the other song had made her. This was different. This was a thick, crisp sound that resonated in her core.

It was powerful.

_And I throw my heart back to the ocean_

_But it don't go far, it come back floating_

_And I watch it wash it up with the dead fish_

_But it ain't quite dead, it just is like this_

Clarke laughed a little.

She didn’t need Wells bossing her around. She was done with high school, finally, and on to the next. It was completely normal to move on from friends, and she wasn’t the same as she was before she’d put the CD into her stereo that afternoon. She’d made a change, quick and thoughtless, but not wrong.

She was going to that show.

That’s when she heard her phone ring. She patted herself down before pulling it from the back pocket of her jeans.

Her finger went to the stereo and turned the music down to a reasonable level. She glanced at the screen of her phone to find _RAVEN is calling._ Clarke remembered giving the girl her number that afternoon, but was surprised she was calling. She swiped her finger across her screen to answer and held it to her ear.

“Hello?” She was greeted by loud music of an unknown genre.

“Clarke?” Raven’s voice came out at her. “Clarke, I’m just calling to make sure you’re coming tomorrow night.”

Clarke laughed. “Yeah I am. How drunk are you?”

She heard a girl laugh in the background, most likely Octavia.

“Seriously.” Raven’s voice gained a serious tone. “We need someone like you around.”

Clarke felt a pain in her stomach she didn’t know how to place. “I… Thank-“

“Woah, hold on.” Raven shouted. “This is my song. Bellamy, hold this.”

Clarke heard shuffling and music before a deep voice rang through the speaker. “Hello?”

She stuttered. “Uh… Uh, hello.”

His tone darkened. “Who is this?”

“This is Clarke.” She gulped.

“Who is this?” She tried.

“This is Bellamy.”

“Oh.” Clarke sat down on her bed.

There was a short pause before his voice came through again. This time it was kinder. “How are you?”

She didn’t know why she was feeling so anxious. “I’m well?”

“You’re _well_?” He asked, tone mocking.

She laughed, perplexed. “Yes, I am.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Clarke. How do you know Raven?” His voice was gruff, but conversational.

“We met at Sirens today.” She explained, picking at a loose string at the hem of her shirt.

“Great place.” He said. “Buy anything?”

“Yeah, a few actually.” There was a ‘ _crack’_ halfway through her final word and the background noise went dead. “Bellamy? Raven?”

No response, just silence. Had he hung up on her? Why did she care so much? She gave her valedictorian speech in front of 2000 people just weeks ago and now her stomach was churning because she spoke to a stranger on the phone for a minute and a half. It didn’t make much sense.

Clarke yawned. She’d had enough conversation for one day. She crawled into bed in the clothes she was wearing, not fully intending to go to sleep, but knowing she probably wouldn’t be getting back up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. This chapter wasn't going to happen and I have the next one kind of written already, it just needs a lot of tweaking. It should be up in less than two weeks. Leave me a comment telling me what you think! :)


	4. Bar Talk: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke goes to see Ravens band (Mecca Station) in a local bar and finally gets to meet The Sky People.

Bar Talk: Part One

-

Clarke Griffin was seventeen years old. Clarke Griffin was approaching to door to a bar. Clarke Griffin did not have a fake ID.

The Drop Ship was about a half hour outside of Redbrooke, and sat on the outside of another small town, between a now closed Tim Horton’s and a gas station. The sign above the single door read ‘ _Th Dro S ip’_ , which Clarke found hilariously fitting for such a seedy place.   
It was still only a quarter past six, and the place didn't seem packed from the few cars parked outside. When Clarke got to the door she found nobody watching it, so she entered as casually as she could manage. Noise erupted around her as the place was surprisingly busy, with people crowded around most of the tables and more standing in front of a stage at the back.   
The walls were stained wood, like the inside of a cabin. A large square bar sat in the middle of the large room, and was set up so people could sit at any of the four sides. Two women stood there serving drinks, while a young guy filled glasses with draft beer. She spotted Raven leaning against the stage, talking to a boy Clarke didn't recognize.  
She pulled the cameo print jacket, which had once belonged to her father, tighter around her as she made her way through the crowd. She eventually found herself giving up on the occasional polite 'excuse me' or 'sorry' as it was futile. Nobody was paying any attention to her. Raven saw her coming and waved as Clarke broke out of the crowd.

“Hey.” Clarke spoke.  
"Hey Clarke." Raven took her hands out of the pockets of her red leather jacket to gesture to the boy beside her. "This is Atom."   
He nodded a greeting.  
"Atom is the new drummer for The Sky People. That's the band Murphy's in with Octavia's brother." She added quickly.  
Clarke nodded. "Cool."

She looked the new guy up and down, noticing his beat up brown boots, and even worse for wear jeans. His shirt was yellow and faded, and made his blue eyes look almost hypnotic. He gave Clarke kind of a strange vibe, but she shrugged it off.  
"We should sit down." Raven pointed to a tall table surrounded by bar stools.  
As soon as they sat down there was a guy there to take their order. The waiter gave Clarke a suspicious look when she ordered.

Probably because she asked for "Beer, uh, any beer.” but he returned with three glasses minutes later. She stared at the bowl of peanuts on the table, remembering the time Wells had accidentally eaten a granola bar with peanuts in it in junior high. He had to be taken to the emergency, and everyone called him ‘puffer fish’ for weeks because of how huge and red his cheeks had gotten. Clarke, having lost her father just months before, did not take the situation lightly.  
Raven shook her head scoldingly. "Are Bellamy and Octavia seriously still not here?"   
"I thought they were coming with you?" Atom frowned.  
She sighed. "No, I drove in with Murphy, unfortunately."  
Just then Murphy threw himself down into one of the chairs across from Raven, showing off a familiar smirk. "What about me?”  
"Speak of the devil." Raven smiled unconvincingly. "Just taking about our lovely drive here."

She turned to Clarke. "He refuses to listen to anything other than The Who while we're driving. Not that I don't like the Who…" She raised a finger in his direction.  
Clarke's eyebrows wrinkled. "The _Who_?"  
Atom choked on his beer. "Is she serious?"  
Raven put her hand on the blonde’s arm protectively. "Clarke is not musically inclined like the rest of us."  
Clarke offered an apologetic smile. Murphy ran a hand through his hair, and she noticed a butterfly tattoo on his left middle finger, and dark writing on his thumb.  
"Well you guys have to play something for her." Raven told the boys.  
"We already were." Murphy said. "I've got the backup vocals for Picture of Lily down." He made the comment pointedly at Raven, and Clarke could sense the competitiveness that simmered between them. Raven raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.  
Atom raised his glass to his mouth. "It actually sounds really good."  
Murphy shrugged. "And by the way,” He shot raven a look. “I'll listen to more than just The Who when driving, but the only other CD you had was Marina And The Diamonds."  
Ravens eyes narrowed. "I know where you're going with this, and you do not want to go there."  
Murphy opened his mouth to retort but his gaze moved past her. "Well shit, it's about time."   
"Sorry," A tall guy came to stand beside Raven, Octavia by his side. He had soft curly dark hair, and freckles. Both features were reminiscent of a childlike innocence, which did not show on his face. An annoyed look crept across it instead. "Octavia took forever to get ready."  
Octavia rolled her eyes. "I look amazing."  
She wasn't lying. She was wearing a soft gold bomber jacket over a black dress. Her long hair was pulled back into two fishtail braids and her makeup was smudged expertly around her eyes.   
"You look twenty five." He grumbled. 

His voice was familiar.  
"Clarke," Octavia smiled at her, ignoring the comment. "This is my annoying older brother."  
He beamed. “We met on the phone.”

“We did.” She nodded.  
"Come on," Murphy stood up. “We need to do a sound check.”  
Atom finished off the rest of his beer and he and Bellamy followed Murphy back to the stage.  
Octavia leaned in and whispered something in Ravens ear before following them.  
Raven laughed and shook her head as the girl walked away. "She's got a thing for bad boys." She sighed. “Then again, who doesn’t?” She sighed.  
"Ah." Clarke rubbed a patch of condensation off her glass with her thumb. "Classic trope."  
Raven raised her glass to her lips, raising her eyebrows in response.  
"So," Clarke fiddled with the paper beer coaster in front of her. "You two live together."  
"Yeah." She nodded. "And Bellamy and Murphy."  
"I think my mom would have a heart attack if I moved in with guys." She winced at her own choice of words, but Raven didn’t seem to notice.  
The singer smiled. "Bellamy's a good guy. He cares about his sister a lot.” She added pointedly. “Can’t say the same for Murphy. He’s a foster kid like me. We’re pretty fucked up. But Bellamy is a good guy.”

Clarke smiled, taking a drink from her glass.

“And we totally only slept together once, by the way." She winked at Clarke. "In case you were wondering."  
Clarke's choked a little bit on her beer. "Oh… I don’t…"  
Raven squinted at her. "Have you not ever…?"  
Clarke blushed. "I… it's just not something I've…" She sighed. "I haven’t."  
"Hey, seriously, it _doesn't_ matter." She assured her. Clarke sighed, thankful that Raven was somehow able to take the awkwardness out of any situation.

"Its not that I wouldn’t love to change things, I'm just interested in my life playing out organically, you know?" She tapped the coaster lightly on the table a few times.   
Raven nodded. "Hey, I'd probably still be in your situation if I had parents that loved me."  
Clarke looked up at her sadly.  
"I'm kidding." Raven elbowed her lightly.  
Clarke sighed in relief.  
Raven studied her. "You're a funny one Clarke."  
"You keep saying that."  
"Because it's true." Raven said, matter-of-factly.   
"Hey," Octavia appeared, smacking her hands on the table rhythmically. "Sound check."  
"Catch ya later." Raven winked, and went off to join Jasper and Monty on stage.   
"Their new drummer is so hot." She overheard Octavia telling Raven as they headed for the stage.

Clarke sat alone for a little while, before she watched Octavia's brother, whose name she had already forgotten, emerge from the stage door along with Murphy, Atom, and another boy she didn't know.  
"Clarke." Murphy nodded, as she took a seat beside him. He already had a half empty glass in his hand.  
The rest of the boys did the same, Atom and Miller rounding the sides so they could watch.  
"This is Miller." Murphy introduced the new boy to Clarke.  
He waved, smiling at her. He had an impressive beard for a young man.  
"Bellamy," Atom turned to Octavia's brother. "What's your sister's band called again?"  
"Mecca Station." He responded, but his eyes were somewhere else.  
Two tables over, three girls were laughing, their hands flying around them as they spoke.  
"Not Roma _again_." Miller shook his head. "Leave her be, she's actually a nice girl."  
Bellamy winked. "Miller, you know I love nice girls." He walked to their table casually, taking a seat beside a very thin and very cute brunette girl.  
Clarke watched, her eyes glazed. She wished the music would just start already.

"So, Clarke." Atom turned to her. "Are you and Raven, _together_?"  
Clarke’s eyes went wide. "Togeth-… oh, no. Did she say that-”  
"No, no," He laughed. "Just checking."  
"I thought that was just a phase." Murphy said, staring into his glass as he turned it in circles.  
"What do you mean?" Atom looked amused.  
Murphy shrugged, eyes still looking downward. "I mean, I haven't seen her dating a girl in a year and a half."  
"Bisexuality isn't a phase asshole." Miller tossed a peanut at him, hitting his cheek.

Murphy raised his hand lazily to defend himself from a second attack, finally forcing him to look up. "Yeah but I just didn’t think she was."  
"Why do care so much?" Miller looked at him skeptically.   
"You want a piece of that?" Atom raised his eyebrows, teasing him.  
" _Jesus_ , stop it," Millers face turned sour. "That’s my cousin you're talking about."  
Murphy ignored him. “Shut up Atom.”

No one spoke after that until they saw Mecca Station take the stage. Raven stood with her guitar at a mic stand front and center, Octavia stood to her left, Monty to her right, and Jasper was in behind.Raven spoke to the crowd, which had grown now to about a hundred people, and more were filtering in.It was a busy spot for a small town, though Clarke presumed this was the entire population of youth in the area.Raven played a chord on her guitar and then smacked her hand on the strings. She saw Murphy roll his eyes.“We’re gonna play Sex And Candy.”A few people in the crowd cheered. It was clearly a familiar environment for everyone. The music started. It was very mellow, and very techno. _Hangin' round downtown_ _By myself_ _And I had so much time_ _To sit and think_ _About myself_ “She’s good.” Atom said, clearly in reference to Raven.“Yeah.” Murphy glanced at the stage. “Don’t bother telling her that, because she already knows.”Clarke snorted. “Are you always so bitter?”He gave her a bitter look, but seemed to be impressed by her candor. He didn’t reply. On stage Raven was onto the chorus, while Octavia and Jasper sang, or more, shouted backup. _I smell sex and_ _Candy here (hey, hey)_ _Who's that lounging (hey, hey)_ _In my chair (hey, hey)_ _Who's that casting (hey, hey)_ _Devious stares (hey, hey)_ _In my direction (hey, hey)_ _Mama this surely (hey, hey)_ _Is a dream (hey, hey)_ Miller shook his head, looking completely blown away. “This is a _really_ good cover.” “Is the original different?” Clarke asked.They all nodded.The next part of the song mellowed out, and Clarke watched Raven wink at Octavia’s as their hips swung in perfect synchronization. Octavia took over the backup vocals. _(Sex, sex, candy, candy)_ _(Sex, sex, candy, candy)_ _Mama, this surely is a dream (Sex, sex, candy, candy)_ _(Sex, sex, candy, candy)_ _(Sex, sex, candy, candy)_ _(Sex, sex, candy, candy)_ When Octavia finished, she saw Bellamy walking back towards their table, looking agitated. The audience of young people, all dancing and singing, cheered when they finished. Monty immediately began playing the intro to another song on his keyboard.Raven pulled the microphone off the stand. “Here’s Felecia by The Constellations.”More cheers.That one ended up being Clarke’s favorite from the whole night. It was upbeat and sexy, not to mention she loved the personality Raven put into her singing. She knew exactly when to shake her head, when to shimmy forward, and when to roll her eyes without missing a note. And it all looked natural, never rehearsed.

_Oh, Felicia_ _  
Babe I think I really, really need ya  
So sexy when you're workin' on your knees girl  
I'm out of my head   
I don't believe ya, I need ya_

Clarke sat there watching them, so enveloped in their performance she forgot her surroundings. She left behind the nervous feeling of being underage in a bar, or that she was sitting with a bunch of guys she barely knew. None of that bothered her; it felt right. They played a few more songs, along with the original she’d heard the night before.“Alright, this is the last one we’ve got for you.” Raven picked up a water bottle from the stage and took a drink. She set it down, looking back at Jasper and mouthing something. He laughed, and Clarke felt the room brighten.Raven pulled her guitar off, and removed her jacket with her free hand. “We’re going to play a song that someone told me _I couldn’t pull off_.”A chorus of drunken ‘Oooh’ s game from the audience.“So,” Raven re-adjusted herself. “I guess we’ll see about that. Here’s Goin’ Down.”She dove into the opening with fiercely, without giving the crowd a chance to cheer this time. _Hey there, Father_ _I don't wanna bother you_ _But I've got a sin to confess_ _I'm just 16 if you know what I mean_ _Do you mind if I take off my dress?_ Again, there was theatricality in the way she performed. It wasn’t something that Clarke saw in the garage, at least not in full. This was something special. She was feeding off of the audience, throwing their drunken enthusiasm right back at them.Bellamy slouched further down in his chair beside Clarke. She watched him stare up at his sister on the stage, concerned. She wanted to shrug it off; after all, he hadn’t been particularly interested in her. She hoped someone else would recognize his aversion and comment on it, or preferably dismiss it. No dice. They were all watching the stage.Clarke sighed, cursing her empathy. “What’s wrong?”His eyes turned to her, startled. He was clearly taking his time to decide whether or not he would grant her an answer. He let out a long breath. “You know, when Octavia told me she was joining Raven’s band I didn’t think she’d be singing stuff like this.”Clarke nodded. “I see, you’ve got _not-so-little sister_ problems.”He scoffed. “You’d think I’d be used to them by now, eh?”“I’ve got an older brother.” She smiled fondly. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”He looked to be pleased with the conversation ending with her words, staring back up at the stage, now with a fondness in his expression. _Perhaps there is something that we could work out_ _I noticed your breathing is starting to change_ _We could go in the back behind all these stacks of bibles_ _And get out of this cage_ Raven smirked, and pouted, and winked as she sang. Her allure was unmatched. Clarke knew that Raven knew what she was doing. She just wasn’t so sure if she knew whom she was doing it for. Clarke brought her pinky fingers into her mouth and wolf-whistled. As the song came to and end, Raven peered for a moment at Murphy, with an _I told you so_ look on her face. “Come on.” Bellamy stood up. “We should be up there already. Thanks Clarke.” She nodded to him as her sauntered away, his band mates in tow.She gulped down the rest of her beer and wiped her mouth with her thumb as she watched Bellamy give Raven a high five as they switched places on the stage. He was very good looking, and though she wasn’t an expert on boys, he didn’t seem put off by her- the way boys in high school were. In general, most of the guys she knew were intimidated by her smarts. She was quick thinking, excellent when it came to in-class debates, and as she had heard whispered about her behind her back, _a total control freak bitch_. That stung. However many times her mother would tell her not to dumb herself down for a man she wondered... “Hey girl.” Raven snapped sat down beside her, and she snapped out of her thoughts. “Liking things so far?” Jasper, Monty and Octavia followed her.Clarke nodded. “You guys were amazing.” She looked around the table to them.“This nerd was on fire.” Raven shook Monty’s arm. He blushed. “Yeah, well Octavia’s vocals were off the charts tonight.”“Um,” Octavia crossed her arms. “Are you forgetting about Jasper’s solo.”Jasper shrugged. “Well, I’m pretty sure Raven caused like four breakups with that last song.”“Okay, okay,” Raven flagged down a waiter. “You guys are gonna make me puke.”Raven ordered her beer, and (after much protesting from Clarke) bought her friend a drink as well.Clarke sat, drinking, waiting for band to start and listening to their conversation. She wondered what it must be like, to have a group of friends who shared something so special together. She and Wells had always been close, but it was never like this. He was like her cousin, she loved him but they never had this kind of a spark. It was so _effervescent,_ but also like clockwork. They were all over the place but at the perfect times. She envied that.Clarke managed to shake Wells from her mind. She didn’t want to feel guilty for the fight they’d had the night before. She just wanted to feel… _alive_. And so far things were going pretty well. -please leave me a review it would mean so much 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke sees the show, and meets the rest of the gang... including one boy she had only ever spoken to over the phone.

-  
Clarke Griffin was 17 years old. Clarke Griffin was approaching to door to a bar. Clarke Griffin did not have a fake ID.

The Drop Ship was about a half hour outside of Redbrooke, and sat on the outside of another small town, between a now closed Tim Horton’s and a gas station. The sign above the single door read Th Dro S ip, which Clarke found hilariously fitting for such a seedy place. 

It was still only quarter past 6, and the place didn't seem packed from the few cars that were parked outside. When Clarke got to the door she found that there was nobody watching it, so she entered as casually as she could manage.

Noise erupted around her. The place was surprisingly busy, with people crowded around most of the tables, and more standing in front of a stage at the back. 

The walls were a stained wood, like the inside of a cabin. A large square bar sat in the middle of the large room, and was set up so people could sit at any of the four sides. Two women stood there serving drinks, while a young guy filled glasses with draft beer.

She spotted Raven leaning against the stage, talking to a boy Clarke didn't recognize.

She pulled the cameo print jacket, which had once belonged to her father, tighter around her as she made her way through the crowd. She eventually found herself giving up on the occasional polite 'excuse me' or 'sorry' as it was futile. Nobody was paying any attention to her.

Raven saw her coming and waved as Clarke broke out of the crowd. “Hey.”

"Hey Clarke." Raven took her hands out of the pockets of her red leather jacket to gesture to the boy beside her. "This is Atom."

He nodded a greeting.

"Atom is the new drummer for The Sky People. That's the band Murphy's in with Octavia's brother." She added quickly.

Clarke nodded. "Cool."

She looked the new guy up and down, noticing his beat up brown boots, and even worse for wear jeans. His shirt was yellow and faded, and made his blue eyes look almost hypnotic. He gave Clarke kind of a strange vibe, but she shrugged it off.

"We should sit down." Raven pointed to a tall table surrounded by bar stools.

As soon as they sat down there was a guy there to take their order. 

He gave Clarke a suspicious look when she ordered. Probably because she asked for "Beer, uh, any beer.” but he returned with three glasses minutes later. She stared at the bowl of peanuts on the table, remembering the time wells had accidentally eaten a granola bar with peanuts in it in junior high. He had to be taken to the emergency, and everyone called him ‘puffer fish’ for weeks because of how huge and red his cheeks had gotten. Clarke, having lost her father just months before, did not take the situation lightly.

Raven shook her head scoldingly. "Are Bellamy and Octavia seriously still not here?" 

"I thought they were coming with you?" Atom frowned.

She sighed. "No, I drove in with Murphy, unfortunately."

Just then Murphy threw himself down into one of the chairs across from Raven, showing off a familiar smirk. "What about me?”

"Speak of the devil." Raven smiled unconvincingly. "Just taking about our lovely drive here." She turned to Clarke. "He refuses to listen to anything other than The Who while we're driving. Not that I don't like the Who…" She raised a finger in his direction.

Clarke's eyebrows wrinkled. "The Who?"

Atom choked on his beer. "Is she serious?"

Raven put her hand on the blonde’s arm protectively. "Clarke is not musically knowledgeable like the rest of us."

Clarke offered an apologetic smile.

Murphy ran a hand through his hair, and she noticed a butterfly tattoo on his left middle finger, and dark writing on his thumb.

"Well you guys have to play something for her." Raven told the boys.

"We already were." Murphy said. "I've got the backup vocals for Picture of Lily down." He made the comment pointedly at Raven, and Clarke could sense the competitiveness that simmered between them. 

Raven raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

Atom raised his glass to his mouth. "It actually sounds really good."

Murphy shrugged. "And by the way,” He shot raven a look. “I'll listen to more than just The Who when driving, but the only other CD you had was Marina And The Diamonds."

Ravens eyes narrowed. "I know where you're going with this, and you do not want to go there."

Murphy opened his mouth to retort but his gaze moved past her. "Well shit, it's about time." 

"Sorry," A tall guy came to stand beside Raven, Octavia by his side. He had soft curly dark hair, and freckles. Both features were reminiscent of a childlike innocence, which did not show on his face. An annoyed look crept across it instead. "Octavia took forever to get ready."

Octavia rolled her eyes. "I look amazing."

She wasn't lying. She was wearing a soft gold bomber jacket over a black dress. Her long hair was pulled back into two fishtail braids and her makeup was smudged expertly around her eyes. 

"You look twenty five." He grumbled. 

His voice was familiar.

"Clarke," Octavia smiled at her, ignoring the comment. "This is my annoying older brother."

He beamed. “We met on the phone.”

“We did.” She nodded.

"Come on," Murphy stood up. “We need to do a sound check.”

Atom finished off the rest of his beer and he and Bellamy followed Murphy back to the stage.

Octavia leaned in and whispered something in Ravens ear before following them.

Raven laughed and shook her head as the girl walked away. "She's got a thing for bad boys." She sighed. “Then again, who doesn’t?” She sighed.

"Ah." Clarke rubbed a patch of condensation off her glass with her thumb. "Classic trope."

Raven raised her glass to her lips, raising her eyebrows in response.

"So," Clarke fiddled with the paper beer coaster in front of her. "You two live together."

"Yeah." She nodded. "And Bellamy and Murphy."

"I think my mom would have a heart attack if I moved in with guys." She winced at her own choice of words, but Raven didn’t seem to notice.

The singer smiled. "Bellamy's a good guy. He cares about his sister a lot.” She added pointedly. “Can’t say the same for murphy. He’s a foster kid like  
me. We’re pretty fucked up. But Bellamy is a good guy.”

Clarke smiled, taking a drink from her glass. 

“And we totally only slept together once, by the way." She winked at Clarke. "In case you were wondering."

Clarke's choked a little bit on her beer. "Oh… I don’t…"

Raven squinted at her. "Have you not ever…?"

Clarke blushed. "I… it's just not something I've…" She sighed. "I haven’t."

"Hey, seriously, It doesn't matter." She assured her.

Clarke sighed, thankful that Raven was somehow able to take the awkwardness out of any situation. "Its not that I wouldn’t love to change things, I'm just interested in my life playing out organically, you know?" She tapped the coaster lightly on the table a few times. 

Raven nodded. "Hey, I'd probably still be in your situation if I had parents that loved me."

Clarke looked up at her sadly.

"I'm kidding." Raven elbowed her lightly.

Clarke sighed in relief.

Raven studied her. "You're a funny one Clarke."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true." Raven said, matter-of-factly. 

"Hey," Octavia appeared, smacking her hands on the table rhythmically. "Sound check."

"Catch ya later." Raven winked, and went off to join Jasper and Monty on stage. 

"Their new drummer is so hot." She overheard Octavia telling Raven as they headed for the stage.

Clarke sat alone for a little while, before she watched Octavia's brother, whose name she had already forgotten, emerge from the stage door along with Murphy, Atom, and another boy she didn't know.

"Clarke." Murphy nodded, as she took a seat beside her. He already had a half empty glass in his hand.

The rest of the boys did the same, Atom and Miller rounding the sides so they could watch.

"This is Miller." Murphy introduced the new boy to Clarke.

He waved, smiling at her. He had an impressive beard for a young man.

"Bellamy," Atom turned to Octavia's brother. "What's your sister's band called again?"

"Mecca Station." He responded, but his eyes were somewhere else.

Two tables over, three girls were laughing, their hands flying around them as they spoke.

"Not Roma again." Miller shook his head. "Leave her be, she's actually a nice girl."

Bellamy winked. "Miller, you know I love nice girls." He walked to their table casually, taking a seat beside a very thin and very cute brunette girl.

Clarke watched, her eyes glazed. She wished the music would just start already. 

"So, Clarke." Atom turned to her. "Are you and Raven, together?"

Clarke’s eyes went wide. "Togeth… oh, no. Did she say that-”

"No, no," He laughed. "Just checking."

"I thought that was just a phase." Murphy said, staring into his glass as he turned it in circles.

"What do you mean?" Atom looked amused.

Murphy shrugged, eyes still looking downward. "I mean, I haven't seen her dating a girl in a year and a half."

"Bisexuality isn't a phase asshole." Miller tossed a peanut at him, hitting his cheek. 

Murphy raised his hand lazily to defend himself from a second attack, finally forcing him to look up. "Yeah but I just didn’t think she was."

"Why do care so much?" Miller looked at him skeptically. 

"You want a piece of that?" Atom raised his eyebrows, teasing him.

"Jesus, stop it," Millers face turned sour. "That’s my cousin you're talking about."

Murphy ignored him. “Shut up Atom.” 

No one spoke after that until they saw Mecca Station take the stage. Raven stood with her guitar at a mic stand front and center, Octavia stood to her  
left, Monty to her right, and Jasper was in behind.

Raven spoke to the crowd, which had grown now to about a hundred people, and more were filtering in.

It was a busy spot for a small town, though Clarke presumed this was the entire population of youth in the area.

Raven played a chord on her guitar and then smacked her hand on the strings. 

She saw Murphy roll his eyes.

“We’re gonna play Sex And Candy.”

A few people in the crowd cheered. It was clearly a familiar environment for everyone.

The music started. It was very mellow, and very techno.

Hangin' round downtown  
By myself  
And I had so much time  
To sit and think  
About myself

“She’s good.” Atom said, clearly in reference to Raven.

“Yeah.” Murphy glanced at the stage. “Don’t bother telling her that, because she already knows.”

Clarke snorted. “Are you always so bitter?”

He gave her a bitter look, but seemed to be impressed by her candor. He didn’t reply.

On stage Raven was onto the chorus, while Octavia and Jasper sang, or more, shouted backup.

I smell sex and  
Candy here (hey, hey)  
Who's that lounging (hey, hey)  
In my chair (hey, hey)  
Who's that casting (hey, hey)  
Devious stares (hey, hey)  
In my direction (hey, hey)  
Mama this surely (hey, hey)  
Is a dream (hey, hey)

Miller shook his head, looking completely blown away. “This is a really good cover.”

“Is the original different?” Clarke asked.

They all nodded.

The next part of the song mellowed out, and Clarke watched Raven wink at Octavia’s as their hips swung in perfect synchronization. Octavia took over the backup vocals.

(Sex, sex, candy, candy)  
(Sex, sex, candy, candy)  
Mama, this surely is a dream (Sex, sex, candy, candy)  
(Sex, sex, candy, candy)  
(Sex, sex, candy, candy)  
(Sex, sex, candy, candy)

When Octavia finished she saw Bellamy walking back towards their table, looking agitated.

The audience of young people, all dancing and singing cheered when they finished. Monty immediately began playing the intro to another song on his keyboard.

Raven pulled the microphone off the stand. “Here’s Felecia by The Constellations.” 

More cheers. 

That one ended up being Clarke’s favorite from the whole night. It was upbeat and sexy, not to mention she loved the personality Raven put into her singing. She knew exactly when to shake her head, when to shimmy forward, and when to roll her eyes without missing a note. And it all looked natural, never rehearsed. 

Oh, Felicia  
Babe I think I really, really need ya  
So sexy when you're workin' on your knees girl  
I'm out of my head  
I don't believe ya, I need ya

Clarke sat there watching them, so enveloped in their performance she forgot her surroundings. She left behind the nervous feeling of being underage in a bar, or that she was sitting with a bunch of guys she barely knew. None of that bothered her; it felt right. 

They played a few more songs, along with the original she’d heard the night before.

“Alright, this is the last one we’ve got for you.” Raven picked up a water bottle from the stage and took a drink. She set it down, looking back at Jasper and mouthing something. He laughed, and Clarke felt the room brighten.

Raven pulled her guitar off, and removed her jacket with her free hand. “We’re going to play a song that someone told me I couldn’t pull off.”  
A chorus of drunken ‘Oooh’ s game from the audience.

“So,” Raven re-adjusted herself. “I guess we’ll see about that. Here’s Goin’ Down.”

She dove into the opening with fiercely, without giving the crowd a chance to cheer this time. 

Hey there, Father  
I don't wanna bother you  
But I've got a sin to confess  
I'm just 16 if you know what I mean  
Do you mind if I take off my dress?

Again, there was theatricality in the way she performed. It wasn’t something that Clarke saw in the Garage, at least not in full. This was something special. She was feeding off of the audience, throwing their drunken enthusiasm right back at them.

Bellamy slouched further down in his chair beside Clarke. She watched him stare up at his sister on the stage, concerned. She wanted to shrug it off, after all, he hadn’t been particularly interested in her. She hoped someone else would recognize his aversion and comment on it, or preferably dismiss it. No dice. They were all watching the stage.

Clarke sighed, cursing her empathy. “What’s wrong?”

His eyes turned to her, startled. He was clearly taking his time to decide whether or not he would grant her an answer. He let out a long breath. “You know, when Octavia told me she was joining Raven’s band I didn’t think she’d be singing stuff like this.”

Clarke nodded. “I see, you’ve got not-so-little sister problems.”

He scoffed. “You’d think I’d be used to them by now, eh?”

“I’ve got an older brother.” She smiled fondly. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

He looked to be pleased with the conversation ending with her words, staring back up at the stage, now with a fondness in his expression. 

Perhaps there is something that we could work out  
I noticed your breathing is starting to change  
We could go in the back behind all these stacks of bibles  
And get out of this cage

Raven smirked, and pouted, and winked as she sang. Her allure was unmatched. 

Clarke new that Raven she knew what she was doing. She just wasn’t so sure if she knew whom she was doing it for.

Clarke brought her pinky fingers into her mouth and wolf-whistled. 

As the song came to and end, Raven peered for a moment at Murphy, an, I told you so look on her face. 

“Come on.” Bellamy stood up. “We should be up there already. Thanks Clarke.” 

She nodded to him as her sauntered away, his band mates in tow.

She gulped down the rest of her beer and wiped her mouth with her thumb as she watched Bellamy give Raven a high five as they switched places on the stage. 

He was very good looking, and though she wasn’t an expert on boys, he didn’t seem put of by her the way boys in high school were. In general, most of the guys she knew were intimidated by her smarts. She was quick thinking, excellent when it came to in-class debates, and as she had heard whispered about her behind her back, a total control freak bitch. That stung. However many times her mother would tell her not to dumb herself down for a man she wondered... 

“Hey girl.” Raven snapped sat down beside her, and she snapped out of her thoughts. “Liking things so far?” Jasper, Monty and Octavia followed her.

Clarke nodded. “You guys were amazing.” She looked around the table to them.

“This nerd was on fire.” Raven shook Monty’s arm. 

He blushed. “Yeah, well Octavia’s vocals were off the charts tonight.”

“Um,” Octavia crossed her arms. “Are you forgetting about Jasper’s solo.”

Jasper shrugged. “Well, I’m pretty sure Raven caused like four breakups with that last song.”

“Okay, okay,” Raven flagged down a waiter. “You guys are gonna make me puke.”

Raven ordered her beer, and (after much protesting from Clarke) bought her friend a drink as well.

Clarke sat, drinking, waiting for band to start and listening to their conversation. She wondered what it must be like, to have a group of friends who shared something so special together. She and Wells had always been close, but it was never like this. He was like her cousin, she loved him but they never had this kind of a spark. It was so effervescent, but also like clockwork. They were all over the place but at the perfect times. She envied that.  
Clarke managed to shake Wells from her mind. She didn’t want to feel guilty for the fight they’d had the night before. She just wanted to feel… alive. And so far things were going pretty well.


End file.
